People demonstrate against ACTA on Feb. 11, in Munich, Germany. (Gabriel/AFP/Getty Images)

Tens of thousands of people protested across Europe this weekend against the global Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which they say is an assault on free speech on the Internet.

Protesters are hoping that the treaty, which has been compared to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA), will meet the same fate as the American bills, which have been shelved indefinitely.

European activists and journalists posted via Twitter photos and updates showing thousands gathered on Saturday in cities in Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Greece, and others. A German anti-ACTA website estimated that more than 120,000 protested across the country.

In Bulgaria, protesters marched though Sofia, carrying a sign reading, “ACTA la vista, baby!”

ACTA has been signed by 22 members of the European Union but has not been ratified by the European Parliament. The debate is slated for June.

Germany, the leading economy in the EU, has not yet approved the measure while Poland, the Czech Republic, and Latvia are still mulling the decision.

Japan and United States created the treaty in 2010 and it was also signed by Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea.

The European Commission, a supporter of ACTA, said the measure is “an international trade agreement that will help countries work together to tackle more effectively large-scale intellectual property rights violations.” It says the treaty will protect Europe’s advantages on the world market and its innovations.

However, the Electronic Freedom Frontier, a digital rights watchdog, said there is “disturbingly little information … released about the actual content of the agreement,” and said that according to its sources, the bill would encourage Internet service providers “to identify and remove allegedly infringing material from the Internet” and even “terminate citizens’ Internet connection on repeat allegation of copyright infringement.”

The head of the London-based Open Rights Group, Jim Killock, said that the ACTA agreements have been drafted in secret, away from the public view. Killock told the BBC that because the talks have been carried out in private, ACTA lacks scrutiny.

“Three member states in Europe are now looking like they don’t want to sign,” he said. “That shows that politicians are only really starting to look at this now. All of a sudden, the whole thing is breaking down.”